The National Research Council conducts a workshop on failed stars and super planets.

On the horizon

On Sunday, January 25, the Denver Broncos and defending champ Green Bay Packers battle it out in the Super Bowl in San Diego.

On Monday, January 26, European Union foreign ministers meet in Brussels.

On Tuesday, January 27, President Clinton is tentatively scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address to Congress.

On Wednesday, January 28, the American Bar Association holds its midyear meeting in Nashville.

On Thursday, January 29, the 25th annual Conservative Political
Action Conference will be held in Arlington, Virginia.

On this day

In 41, Gaius Caesar (Caligula), Roman Emperor from 37, was
murdered. Caligula, or Little Boots, succeeded Tiberius and
became so unpopular he was assassinated by Cassius Chaerea at
the Palatine Games.

In 661, at Kufah in Iraq, Caliph Ali, son-in-law of the
prophet Mohammed, was murdered.

In 1076, the Synod of Worms took place at which German bishops
renounced their allegiance to Pope Gregory who in turn
excommunicated Henry IV.

In 1742, Charles Albert, elector of Bavaria, was chosen as Holy
Roman Emperor in succession to Charles VI. As Charles VII, he
was elected to oppose the Habsburg, Francis, husband of Maria
Theresa.

In 1848, gold was first discovered in California by James
Marshall in Sutters sawmill. Initial press reports were largely
ignored. Only when President James K. Polk announced the news in December
did the gold rush begin.

In 1895, Lord Randolph Churchill, British politician and
influential leader of the Conservative Party, died.

In 1915, in World War I, a British fleet under Admiral
Beatty defeated the Germans under Von Hipper at the battle of
Dogger Bank and sank the armored cruiser Blucher, killing 870.

In 1935, Krueger Cream Ale, the first beer to be sold in cans,
went on sale in Richmond, Virginia.

In 1943, in World War II, a meeting between Prime Minister
Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt at Casablanca ended with
demands for unconditional surrender and plans made for a
cross-channel landing in 1944.

In 1946, the Atomic Energy Commission was established by a
United Nations general assembly resolution on this day. The
resolution was initiated originally by the United States, Canada
and Britain.

In 1960, a major insurrection began in Algiers against French
policy in the country.

In 1961, a U.S. B-52 bomber with two 24-megaton nuclear bombs
crashed near Goldsboro, North Carolina.

In 1965, Winston Churchill, statesman and British prime
minister throughout World War II, died.

In 1966, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, daughter of Nehru, was sworn in as
Indian prime minister following the death of Sri Shastri.

In 1972, Japanese soldier Shoichi Yokoi was discovered on
Guam, having spent 28 years hiding in the jungle thinking World War II
was still going on.

In 1978, Soviet satellite, Cosmos 954, used for ocean
surveillance, disintegrated over the remote North-West
territories of Canada.

In 1983, in Italy, 32 Red Brigade members were jailed for acts
of terrorism, including the murder of former prime minister Aldo
Moro.

In 1987, U.S. citizen Jesse Turner, computer science professor
at Beirut University College, was taken hostage in Lebanon. He
was released in October 1991.

In 1996, Chechen rebels released 42 hostages seized in a raid
in southern Russia after a two-week ordeal in which dozens of
separatist fighters and many Russian soldiers were killed.

Newslink

Exactly 150 years ago, on this day, gold was discovered for the first time in California. Travel back in time with the Virtual California Gold Country site.